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Middle Years with Bridget KerMorrisAuthor: Bridget KerMorris, JD, MA
The middle school years can feel like the start of losing your child.One day theyre chatty and affectionate. The next theyre rolling their eyes, questioning everything, and leaving you wondering, Am I doing this all wrong?The truth is, middle school isnt the end of your relationship. Its the beginning of a new one.Each week, middle school therapist, coach, and creator of Steady Connected Parenting, Bridget KerMorris answers a real question from a real parent. Together, youll move beyond quick parenting tips to understand whats really happening underneath your childs behavior, whats getting activated inside of you, and how to lead your family with steadiness, warmth, and confidence.Whether youre navigating friendships, technology, ADHD, sibling conflict, identity, motivation, anxiety, or simply wondering how to stay connected to a child who suddenly seems impossible to reach, each episode offers practical tools, fresh perspective, and the kind of relational clarity that helps both parents and kids thrive.Bridget is a Stanford-trained lawyer with thousands of hours of education and experience as a marriage and family therapist specializing in family systems, neurodivergence, and relational trauma. Shes also a mom of seven, currently parenting her fourth middle schooler, and the creator behind @bridget.parentcoach, where more than 100,000 parents turn each day for grounded, compassionate support.Because your middle schooler isnt asking for a perfect parent.Theyre asking,Do you like me?Will you come back for me?This podcast will help you answer, Yes. Language: en-us Genres: Health & Fitness, Kids & Family, Mental Health, Parenting Contact email: Get it Feed URL: Get it iTunes ID: Get it Trailer: |
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My Kid Says He's Not Lonely . . . So Why Am I Still Worried?
Episode 17
Friday, 11 September, 2026
Your middle schooler says he’s not lonely.So why are you still worried?In this episode of Middle Years with Bridget KerMorris, I answer a mom whose 12-year-old son is well-liked at school, has ADHD, and rarely reaches out to friends outside of school.She’s wondering whether to trust that he’s genuinely content or worry that difficulty maintaining friendships will catch up with him later.We talk about:why the question isn’t “does he have enough friends?”the hidden executive-function load of maintaining friendships in middle schoolwhy getting a phone solves the access problem, but not necessarily the initiation, planning, or follow-through problemhow to tell the difference between needing social recovery and avoiding connection you actually wantwhy solitude and loneliness can look identical from the outsidehow to scaffold the administration of friendship without managing your child’s social lifewhy texting frequency is a terrible measure of friendship qualityhow to believe your child’s experience while still staying curious about what may be getting in the waythe UPDATE work when your brain jumps from “he doesn’t text much” to “what if he ends up lonely?”The line I want you to carry:Don’t confuse a quiet social season with a lonely future.A kid can be bad at texting and wonderful at friendship.A kid can love people and need a lot of solitude.And a kid can need help making plans without needing a parent to decide how much socializing is “enough.”The long game is helping your middle schooler learn: What kind of connection feels good to me? When do I need rest? And when is something getting in the way of something I actually want?Something new is coming in OctoberI’ve been quietly building something for parents who want more of this kind of support in the everyday moments of the middle school years.It opens in October, spots will be limited, and my newsletter subscribers will hear about it first.If this episode made you think of another parent doing silent friendship math right now, send it their way.And if you have a minute, follow Middle Years with Bridget KerMorris and leave a review. It helps the show reach the next parent wondering, “My kid says he’s okay… can I believe him?”Click here to find me on Instagram.Click here to sign up for my Parenting in the Middle weekly newsletter.
